The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Paperback

[SR: 14996], Paperback, [EAN: 9780156034029], Harvest Books, Harvest Books, Book, [PU: Harvest Books], 2008-04-14, Harvest Books, Now a major motion pictureShort-listed for the Man Booker PrizeNew York Times bestseller“Extreme times call for extreme reactions, extreme writing. Hamid has done something extraordinary with this novel.” —Washington Post“One of those achingly assured novels that makes you happy to be a reader.” —Junot Diaz At a café table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter . . . Changez is living an immigrant’s dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by an elite valuation firm. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore. But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his relationship with Erica shifting. And Changez’s own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love. “Brief, charming, and quietly furious . . . a resounding success.” —Village Voice A Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year A New, Mohsin Hamid's first novel, Moth Smoke, dealt with the confluence of personal and political themes, and his second, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, revisits that territory in the person of Changez, a young Pakistani. Told in a single monologue, the narrative never flags. Changez is by turns naive, sinister, unctuous, mildly threatening, overbearing, insulting, angry, resentful, and sad. He tells his story to a nameless, mysterious American who sits across from him at a Lahore cafe. Educated at Princeton, employed by a first-rate valuation firm, Changez was living the American dream, earning more money than he thought possible, caught up in the New York social scene and in love with a beautiful, wealthy, damaged girl. The romance is negligible; Erica is emotionally unavailable, endlessly grieving the death of her lifelong friend and boyfriend, Chris. Changez is in Manila on 9/11 and sees the towers come down on TV. He tells the American, "...I smiled. Yes, despicable as it may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased... I was caught up in the symbolism of it all, the fact that someone had so visibly brought America to her knees..." When he returns to New York, there is a palpable change in attitudes toward him, starting right at immigration. His name and his face render him suspect. Ongoing trouble between Pakistan and India urge Changez to return home for a visit, despite his parents' advice to stay where he is. While there, he realizes that he has changed in a way that shames him. "I was struck at first by how shabby our house appeared... I was saddened to find it in such a state... This was where I came from... and it smacked of lowliness." He exorcises that feeling and once again appreciates his home for its "unmistakable personality and idiosyncratic charm." While at home, he lets his beard grow. Advised to shave it, even by his mother, he refuses. It will be his line in the sand, his statement about who he is. His company sends him to Chile for another business valuation; his mind filled with the troubles in Pakistan and the U.S. involvement with India that keeps the pressure on. His work and the money he earns have been overtaken by resentment of the United States and all it stands for. Hamid's prose is filled with insight, subtly delivered: "I felt my age: an almost childlike twenty-two, rather than that permanent middle-age that attaches itself to the man who lives alone and supports himself by wearing a suit in a city not of his birth." In telling of the janissaries, Christian boys captured by Ottomans and trained to be soldiers in the Muslim Army, his Chilean host tells him: "The janissaries were always taken in childhood. It would have been far more difficult to devote themselves to their adopted empire, you see, if they had memories they could not forget." Changez cannot forget, and Hamid makes the reader understand that--and all that follows. --Valerie Ryan A Conversation with Mohsin Hamid Set in modern-day Pakistan, Mohsin Hamid's debut novel, Moth Smoke, went on to win awards and was listed as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His bold new novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is a daring, fast-paced monologue of a young Pakistani man telling his life story to a mysterious American stranger. It's a controversial look at the dark side of the American Dream, exploring the aftermath of 9/11, international unease, and the dangerous pull of nostalgia. Amazon.com senior editor Brad Thomas Parsons shared an e-mail exchange with Mohsin Hamid to talk about his powerful new book Read the Amazon.com Interview with Mohsin Hamid , 10177, Historical, 9059877011, African American, 16275, Alternate History, 9332127011, Biographical, 7259434011, Christian, 8946929011, Cultural Heritage, 16201, Fantasy, 9332128011, Jewish, 9332129011, Military, 10470, Mysteries, 10184192011, Short Stories & Anthologies, 7538393011, Thrillers, 10134, Genre Fiction, 17, Literature & Fiction, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books, 171129, Political, 10134, Genre Fiction, 17, Literature & Fiction, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books, 9822, United States, 9823, African American, 9857, Asian American, 9882, Classics, 524198, Anthologies, 2160, Drama, 9926, Hispanic, 16004731, Humor, 9955, Native American, 9966, Poetry, 17, Literature & Fiction, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books, 10129, Contemporary, 17, Literature & Fiction, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books, 10132, Literary, 17, Literature & Fiction, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books, 10491, Psychological Thrillers, 10484, Thrillers & Suspense, 18, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books, 10495, Suspense, 10484, Thrillers & Suspense, 18, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books, 13354, Contemporary, 23, Romance, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books, 28, Teen & Young Adult, 10367653011, Art, Music & Photography, 17418, Biographies, 3344092011, Education & Reference, 17437, Historical Fiction, 10367802011, Hobbies & Games, 17443, Literature & Fiction, 17458, Mysteries & Thrillers, 171181, Personal Health, 171119, Religion & Spirituality, 17456, Romance, 17466, Science Fiction & Fantasy, 17496, Social Issues, 171180, Sports & Outdoors, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books, 10582, Race Relations, 10588, General, 11249, Discrimination & Racism, 11288, Sociology, 3377866011, Politics & Social Sciences, 1000, Subjects, 283155, Books

Hamid, Mohsin:

A NATIONAL BESTSELLERAt a cafe table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter . . . Changez is living an immigrant's dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by the elite valuation firm of Underwood Samson. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore. But in the wake of september 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his budding relationship with Erica eclipsed by the reawakened ghosts of her past. And Changez's own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love. The Reluctant Fundamentalist Hamid, Mohsin, Harvest Books

[EAN: 9780156034029], Gebraucht, [PU: Harvest Books], Social Science|Discrimination & Race Relations, Fiction|Romance|Contemporary, Jacket, The book is a readable copy showing signs of wear and the pages are intact. The cover may have some creases or minor tears. The dust jacket (if applicable) may be missing. The book may be an ex-library book. The book may contain: a publisher remainder mar All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Before placing your order for please contact us for confirmation on the book's binding. Check out our other listings to add to your order for discounted shipping.

Hamid, Mohsin

Title:

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

ISBN:

0156034026

A "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER
<BR>At a cafe table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter . . .
<BR>Changez is living an immigrant's dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by the elite valuation firm of Underwood Samson. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore.
But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his budding relationship with Erica eclipsed by the reawakened ghosts of her past. And Changez's own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.